


Statice

by Amariys



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Friendship, Gen, GoM-Centric, It's very late I know, Valentine's theme, self-indulgent fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-29
Updated: 2015-04-04
Packaged: 2018-03-20 03:19:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3634668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amariys/pseuds/Amariys
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Somethings were never meant to be changed. GOM-centric.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Restarting Time

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is so late. As in, more than a month kind of late. It’s based on Valentine’s Day and we all know when the day was actually celebrated. I’m sorry for that. Also, this fic is self-indulgent which turns as a little gift for popsky. Originally, it’s a long oneshot (11k words) but then I decided to split it into two parts for readers’ sake.
> 
> The next part will be uploaded in three-four days. Meanwhile, I hope you enjoy this fic. :)
> 
> beta-reader: the most fabulous [popsky](http://archiveofourown.org/users/popsky/pseuds/popsky)

**STATICE**

It all started with a simple message from Kise Ryouta:

_Kise Ryouta (13.15): What plan do you all have for V-Day~?_

Which of course usually would be ignored, but Kise had put up the message in a group chat and everyone knew he had this annoying habit of spamming whenever he was ignored. Leaving the group chat room was inconvenient too because sometimes Momoi would still post useful information for them. So in the end the rest of Generation of Miracles decided to humor Kise—even if they didn’t necessarily do it in a nice way.

_Kuroko Tetsuya (13.32): There’s a practice that day._

_Kise Ryouta (13.33): It’s on the weekend, Kurokocchi._

_Kise Ryouta (13.33): You won’t have practice on the weekend._

_Midorima Shintarou (13.33): I don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day._

_Midorima Shintarou (13.34): It’s a ridiculous propaganda from the chocolate factories._

_Aomine Daiki (13.34): For once I agree with Midorima_

_Aomine Daiki (13.34): It’s too bothersome_

_Kise Ryouta (13.35): Aominecchi and Midorimacchi are so boring!_

_Kise Ryouta (13.36): Valentine’s Day can be delightful you know!_

_Aomine Daiki (13.36): no it won’t_

_Midorima Shintarou (13.36): Go die, Kise._

_Momoi Satsuki (13.38): Well I kinda agree with Ki-chan_

_Momoi Satsuki (13.38): V-Day can be … interesting._

_Murasakibara Atsushi (13.38): I want chocolates_

_Kise Ryouta (13.39): See! Momocchi and Murasakicchi agree with me!_

_Murasakibara Atsushi (13.39): Kise-chin will give me chocolates then_

_Aomine Daiki (13.40): that’s because Satsuki’s a girl_

_Aomine Daiki (13.40): murasakibara only wants the chocolate, idiot_

_Kise Ryouta (13.40): Doesn’t mean anything!_

_Kise Ryouta (13.41): Come on you guys, I know you all are free that day!_

_Murasakibara Atsushi (13.41): Kise-chin, chocolates_

_Midorima Shintarou (13.41): I’m too busy to play along with your stupidity, Kise._

_Momoi Satsuki (13.42): it depends on what kind of stupidity Ki-chan has in mind I guess_

_Aomine Daiki (13.42): Satsuki don’t drag me into this_

_Kise Ryouta (13.42): Yes, Murasakicchi, I’ll give you chocolates later_

_Kise Ryouta (13.43): Midorimacchi, it’s not good to lie. I’ve talked to Takaocchi. You’re free this weekend._

_Kise Ryouta (13.44): Momocchi should REALLY drag Aominecchi into this_

_Kise Ryouta (13.45): It’s not stupid I promise_

_Kise Ryouta (13.45): Where’s Kurokocchi?_

_Aomine Daiki (13.48): turning his phone off I guess_

_Aomine Daiki (13.48): gonna do that too_

_Kise Ryouta (13.48): AOMINECCHI THAT’S MEAN!_

_Kuroko Tetsuya (13.50): I’m still here_

_Momoi Satsuki (13.50): Tetsu-kun! Do you want chocolates from me?_

_Kuroko Tetsuya (13.51): That won’t be necessary, Momoi-san_

_Akashi Seijuurou (14.05): You all are noisy._

_Akashi Seijuurou (14.05): What do you plan to do, Ryouta?_

_Kise Ryouta (14.05): Akashicchi!_

_Kise Ryouta (14.05): Well, you know since WC has been over and all_

_Kise Ryouta (14.05): We haven’t met again since then right_

_Kise Ryouta (14.06): I was thinking that maybe we can all have a trip to Kyoto to visit Akashicchi_

_Kise Ryouta (14.06): Then we can exchange chocolates once there._

_Kise Ryouta (14.45): Umm?_

_Kise Ryouta (14.45): Anyone still there?_

_Midorima Shintarou (14.50): I refuse._

_Midorima Shintarou (14.50): Kyoto is too far._

_Momoi Satsuki (14.52): But that sounds exciting, Midorin!_

_Momoi Satsuki (14.52): It’s been a while since our last trip together!_

_Kuroko Tetsuya (15.06): Why Kyoto?_

_Murasakibara Atsushi (15.10): It’ll be nice to meet Aka-chin again~_

_Kise Ryouta (15.11): Because I know Akashicchi will still have practice even on the weekend_

_Kise Ryouta (15.11): And he’s captain he can’t skip practice_

_Aomine Daiki (15.11): you only want to see the geisha don’t you_

_Kise Ryouta (15.11): NOT TRUE!_

_Kise Ryouta (15.12): Aominecchi stop teasing me_

_Aomine Daiki (15.12): stop being so easy to be teased then_

_Aomine Daiki (15.12): idiot_

_Akashi Seijuurou (15.12): I see._

_Akashi Seijuurou (15.12): That’s not a bad plan._

_Akashi Seijuurou (15.13): You all can come to Rakuzan before we go anywhere else._

_Momoi Satsuki (15.33): What about our lodgings though?_

_Momoi Satsuki (15.33): We’ll stay for the weekend, right._

_Kise Ryouta (15.35): I thought we can stay in Akashicchi’s place?_

_Kise Ryouta (15.35): If that’s alright._

_Akashi Seijuurou (15.50): Of course._

_Kise Ryouta (15.50): Yay! Thank you, Akashicchi!_

_Kise Ryouta (15.50): So who’s in?_

_Momoi Satsuki (16.01): Aomine-kun and I, of course._

_Aomine Daiki (16.01): oi, satsuki!_

_Kise Ryouta (16.04): Murasakicchi you’re coming too right?_

_Murasakibara Atsushi (16.05): Will there be chocolates?_

_Kise Ryouta (16.05): Yes._

_Murasakibara Atsushi (16.05): Then I’m in~_

_Kise Ryouta (16.06): Kurokocchi?_

_Kuroko Tetsuya (16.10): Yes, I’ll be there, Kise-kun._

_Kise Ryouta (16.10): Then there’s only Midorimacchi._

_Kise Ryouta (16.10): Are you sure you don’t want to join us?_

_Akashi Seijuurou (16.12): I’ll prepare a shogi board for you, Shintarou._

_Momoi Satsuki (16.12): Yes, Midorin, you should come with us!_

_Kise Ryouta (16.12): Yes, Midorimacchi, stop being a tsundere and just come with us!_

_Kise Ryouta (16.12): Please?_

_Midorima Shintarou (16.45): Fine._

_Midorima Shintarou (16.45): Only if I have the time!_

_Kise Ryouta (16.46): That settles it then!_

**.**

**xXXx**

**.**

“So … now you’re going on an impromptu trip to Kyoto with the rest of the Generation of Miracles?”

“Yes. Kise-kun will come to pick me and the others up. We’ll meet with Murasakibara-kun in Kyoto though.”

“Huh. I didn’t expect you’d agree with it.” Kagami Taiga murmured thoughtfully as he and Kuroko walked towards Seirin’s front gate. It was Valentine’s Day and since it was Saturday, they only had half a day of school and there was no club practice since Winter Cup had just ended. The phantom had told him about his trip plan and Kagami was still a bit in awe at what seemed to be a reckless decision.

“Kise-kun can be annoying when he doesn’t get what he wants.” Kuroko shrugged as if it was the most logical explanation.

Unfortunately, it was. Kagami snorted in agreement. He had known Kise well enough by now to realize how stubborn the model could be. Considering the fact Kuroko had known Kise for even longer, maybe agreeing to his silly ideas like this really was the less harmful way in dealing with Kise Ryouta.

“Figures if any of you were going to be excited about Valentine’s, it’d be him. Do you really bring chocolates for all of them then?”

“No, buying chocolates for all of them will be too expensive. Besides, Kise-kun will bring enough chocolates for us. I particularly like the white ones.”

“Wait, did you always exchange chocolates on Valentine’s Day? All of you?” Kagami’s steps slowed down as he gave Kuroko a look of total disbelief. “I hadn’t thought you were that tight of a group.”

“It was a tradition. Although I’d thought we’d never do it again.”

A hint of sadness that could be heard in Kuroko’s voice made Kagami fall silent. There were still a lot of things he didn’t know about his shadow. Despite the story Kuroko had recounted to them—Seirin basketball team member—before the final of Winter Cup, he still couldn’t even fathom how close the Generation of Miracles really were to each other. They must have gravitated towards each other, Kagami thought, what with being geniuses among all the commoners. It wouldn’t be so unusual for a bond to forge from their interaction and considering how broken Kuroko evidently was when they started to fall apart, Kagami suspected Kuroko considered them as something more than friends.

Fortunately the silence between them didn’t have a chance to be awkward. They were approaching the front gate and already they could see a circle of female students surrounding a certain blonde model. Kagami rolled his eyes. It was far too easy to spot Kise in the crowd. “Well looks like your picking up is here.”

“Apparently,” Kuroko agreed with the faintest of frown on his face. He increased his speed, face set in almost determination as he easily slipped between the crowds which parted unconsciously for him. He certainly didn’t have any regret using his misdirection even outside the court. It took him no time at all to arrive at Kise’s side and once he did, Kuroko called out in his usual monotone, “Kise-kun.”

Kise’s eyes widened. For a second, the honey brown orbs were searching for Kuroko before finally they found the teal haired man almost glued to his side. Immediately, a big grin appeared on Kise’s face. He then proceeded to tackle Kuroko’s smaller body in a tight hug. There was collective gasp from the girls around them, but neither Kise nor Kuroko seemed to care about it.

“KUROKOCCHI! It’s been a while!”

“Yes, it has. Can you please let go of me now, Kise-kun? I can’t breathe.”

“OH! I’m sorry!” Hastily Kise let Kuroko go. He pushed the other at arm length and inquired, “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” answered Kuroko although he still didn’t look pleased. He could feel Kise’s gaze, the intensity of it made him feel as if needles were pricking on his skin, until finally he had no option but to return the gaze. “What is it, Kise-kun?”

Kise didn’t answer immediately. His eyes still seemed searching for something within Kuroko’s gaze until finally he quirked up the corner of his lips into a secretive smile. “Nothing~” he hummed in response, ignoring Kuroko’s sharpening gaze in order to pull out a box of white chocolate from the big paper bag he brought. With a flourish he gave the box to Kuroko. “For Kurokocchi, a box of white chocolates. I still have more if you decided one box wasn’t enough.”

“Thank you,” Kuroko said in his usual monotone. Although he was sure to Kise’s trained eyes, his happiness while receiving the box wouldn’t go unnoticed. He was grateful when the blond didn’t say anything though, merely smiling even wider as if a simple gratitude was an equal gift for something so expensive. He couldn’t resist the small smile at that. Kise always gave more than he’d take. Casually he put the box of chocolate into his bag before looking up at Kise once more. “Do you still have business with your fans here?”

“Ah, no, I’m done. If Kurokocchi doesn’t mind waiting a little longer, we’ll be able to go soon.”

“I understand.”

Once he got Kuroko’s agreement, Kise turned back towards his fans. He flashed them his most charming smile, the kind that made some of the girls swoon literally, as he said in apologetic tone, “As you can see, lovely ladies, I have important business to attend. Deeply apologize because I can’t stay any longer. Thank you for your support all of this time!” He immediately grabbed Kuroko’s wrist and walked away from the circle of fangirls, still with the same smile on his face which evidently worked well enough to keep the girls from following them.

Kagami watched with undisguised amusement when Kise and Kuroko approached him. When they were far enough from the girls, the smile on Kise’s face changed into pained cringe. The model obviously couldn’t stand his fangirls that much no matter how grateful he was for their support. “Nice safe there, Kise.”

“Heh, thank you, Kagamicchi. I didn’t think it would be that bad, actually.”

“Yeah, well, you’ve come here often enough. No wonder the girls have become bolder. You should really consider wearing disguises in the future.”

“Disguise, huh. I sure have the props for that, but it’s far too bothersome. I’ll note that though.”

“Kise-kun, I think we should go now. We still have to pick Aomine-kun, Momoi-san and Midorima-kun, right?”

“Right! Aominecchi will be pissed if we made him wait for too long! Sorry, I can’t chat any longer, Kagamicchi!”

“Ah, no, it’s fine. You should go,” Kagami frowned when he noticed something. “By the way, you said you’re going on a trip to Kyoto, right? You’re staying for the weekend too?”

“Yes. What about it?”

“No, I just wonder … where do you put your clothes? Kuroko only brings his usual school bag and you’re more or less the same except for that big paper bag which holds the chocolates, I guess. So, where are your clothes and the other necessities?”

Kise and Kuroko exchanged a look. There seemed to be a silent conversation between them, until finally Kuroko simply turned his gaze away and Kise shrugged as if coming to a conclusion. It was the blond who decided to answer Kagami’s question, “We don’t bring any.”

“Huh?”

“We don’t bring any,” Kise repeated. “because we don’t need them. We’re going to stay at Akashicchi’s place.”

Kise didn’t give any further explanation, as if his words were enough to answer Kagami’s question—which they really weren’t. He could only stare at the blond, silently wondering if maybe there was something wrong with his head, but he just followed silently when Kise and Kuroko started to walk away. This wouldn’t be the first time he felt bewildered after talking with a member of Generation of Miracles. As sad as it might sound like, but Kagami was already used to their quirks.

“Well, I hope you all will have fun there.”

“Oh, don’t worry, Kagamicchi, we will.” Kise answered with a sly smile that implied something naughty behind his words. Even Kuroko was smiling as if enjoying an inner joke Kagami wasn’t privileged enough to know. Before Kagami could inquire anything more, Kise suddenly stopped as if remembering something, then he turned just enough so he could face Kagami while still walking. “That reminds me. What kind of chocolate do you like, Kagamicchi?”

“Chocolate? Uh, I don’t know. Milk chocolates, maybe?” Kagami stuttered, caught off guard by the unexpected question.

Somehow, his answer made Kise giggle—actually giggled like he was some silly teenage girl—even as he took one box of milk chocolate from his paper bag, “I knew you’d say that! Here, Kagamicchi, you can have this since you’re always looking after Kurokocchi!”

“You make it sound as if I were his babysitter,” Kagami rolled his eyes. He didn’t refuse the chocolate though. “Thanks. Why did you giggle anyway? I didn’t see anything funny with my answer.”

“Oh, yeah, it wasn’t funny. I just thought milk chocolate fit you well. After all, Kagamicchi is actually really sweet beneath his tough appearance. Right, Kurokocchi?”

“I agree, Kise-kun. Kagami-kun will make a perfect wife someday.”

“OI! That’s not exactly flattering!” Kagami roared in protest. Of course, his annoyance had no effect whatsoever on the other two who just laughed happily at him. Well, Kise did laugh while Kuroko only smiled in that thin-yet-amused way of his. Arguing with the Generation of Miracles was even more difficult than beating them on court, Kagami decided. It was a good thing he knew when to withdraw from a losing battle.

**.**

**xXXx**

**.**

Aomine and Momoi were already waiting when they arrived at Touou’s front gate. The tan male looked annoyed as expected, his navy blue eyes narrowing when they caught sight of both Kise and Kuroko, but the pink haired girl was the exact opposite of him. When Momoi saw them coming over, a bright smile formed on her face and she immediately ran towards them only to engulf Kuroko in a tight hug.

Wisely, Kise took a step aside from the duo, eyes catching Aomine’s as they shared exasperated expression. This, also, was a tradition for them.

“Tetsu-kun!! I’ve missed you so much!!” Momoi gushed out, tightening her grip even more around Kuroko’s lithe body and Kise thought he might hear one or two bones cracked under the force. Amazingly, Kuroko’s expression didn’t change even the slightest under the assault. He certainly looked as if he tolerated Momoi’s hug more than Kise’s previous one.

The only sign of Kuroko’s discomfort was a slight tilting of his head right before he murmured in strained voice, “Momoi-san, it hurts.”

Momoi gasped before letting go of Kuroko as if burned. Immediately her expression turned into worried. She patted his arms to search for any serious injuries and, upon finding none, heaved a relieved sigh instead. She smiled thinly in apology. “I’m sorry, I was too excited to see you again, Tetsu-kun.”

“It’s perfectly alright, Momoi-san. It’s been a long time indeed since we last met.” Kuroko answered plainly. Although there was a hint of warmth in his voice.

“It’s been a while since _we_ met too, Momocchi. Don’t you want to give me a hug?” Kise asked with a mock pout as he stepped forward. “That’s so cruel!”

“ _Mou_ , Ki-chan don’t say that! I’ve missed you too!” Momoi said before giving Kise the demanded hug. Only this time she held the other loose enough and it went for a shorter time than her previous hug with Kuroko. It was obvious which one of them Momoi was fonder of. Not that it was unexpected or offending in anyway.

“Are you done acting like a bunch of girls in public? Seriously you all are too damn embarrassing.”

Kise lifted his head up towards Aomine when he heard the disgruntled words. A grin firmly fixed on his face as he opened his arms wide. “Aww, does Aominecchi feel left out? I can give you a hug if you want~”

“Do that and I will beat your ass so hard in our next one-on-one you won’t be able to stand afterwards.” Aomine warned with narrowed eyes, looking at Kise as if he was something infectious.

Of course that had never deterred Kise before. So he merely blinked twice before his smile turned sly and he slowly approached Aomine, wriggling his fingers while his arms were still wide-opened. “Is that an invitation? Because you know I always _love_ our one-on-one.”

Aomine’s expression was that of stricken horror even as Momoi squealed in delight. The ace of Touou then wrinkled his nose in disgust. “You’re shameless, Kise. Utterly shameless.”

Of which Kise only replied by a bright laughter, not at all offended by the words. After all, he had seen the smirk Aomine was unable to hide and knew, without doubt, the other wouldn’t want him any other way. Batting his eyelashes with much exaggeration, Kise bowed down as if he had just performed the greatest act ever. “Why, thank you. I do try to fulfill everyone’s expectation!”

“Yeah, yeah, well enough with that. Let’s go now. I don’t want Midorima to bitch at us more than necessary.”

“Ah, I must agree with Aomine-kun. Midorima-kun is … quite unpleasant when he’s annoyed.”

“That’s true.” Momoi smiled thinly. She loved all of Generation of Miracles, including Midorima of course, but still she couldn’t deny the green haired man could be … difficult sometimes. She turned towards Kise with a smile. “But before that! Where’s my chocolate, Ki-chan? You don’t forget them, do you?”

 “Of course not~ how can I forget about a lovely lady like you?” Kise winked as he fished out a box of dark chocolate for Momoi. “Here you go, Momocchi!”

“You remember what I like! Thank you, Ki-chan!” Momoi squealed, taking the chocolate, standing on her tiptoes to give a chaste peck on Kise’s cheek. He deserved it simply for remembering her preference to dark chocolate all those years ago.

“How could I forget? Although I still think you don’t need to worry much about being fat, Momocchi. Oh, and I still remember what you like too, Aominecchi! Chocolate coffee, right? Here, my friend recommended it, but I haven’t tried it yet so hopefully it tastes good enough for you.”

“I’d be fine with the usual,” grumbled Aomine although he still took the chocolate from Kise. Not that he’d ever refuse it—since everyone knew Kise would only bring chocolates of high quality (most of them usually imported from some fancy country like Swiss) for this tradition. In a way, it had always amazed him, since no one actually bothered with chocolates except for the blonde. Inwardly, he could admit it fit Kise’s personality though. The model would always give and give without expecting anything in return.

Oblivious with Aomine’s inner thought, Kise merely shrugged his shoulders. “Yeah well, apparently they don’t produce that product anymore. Don’t know why though, so don’t ask.”

The pointed look thrown at him made Aomine roll his eyes, but he was saved from retorting when Momoi latched onto Kise’s arm with a grin and dragged the willing man away from him.

“Don’t mind Aomine-kun, Ki-chan. He’s just too shy to admit his gratitude. Honestly, sometimes I think he’s caught Midorin’s tsundere virus.”

“Oi Satsuki! Don’t spread strange rumors about me, you idiot!! Besides, there’s nothing such as _tsundere virus_!”

Aomine’s protest was met with laughter. None of his companions seemed particularly afraid of him or his threatening growl as they continued walking away from Touou’s front gate. Even Kuroko, who had been following them in silence, had small smile playing on his face and after a moment of scowling, Aomine finally sighed softly. Keeping up his annoyance would be too tiring and besides, Momoi had a point. He didn’t particularly hate this tradition Kise had initiated and revived. If pressed (or forced by Akashi), he might even admit he had missed this sense of camaraderie between them.

Putting the chocolate onto his bag, Aomine allowed a thin smirk to form on his face as he watched Kise and Momoi bantered quite naturally in front of him. The smirk only widened when he felt Kuroko’s presence beside him and, in a moment of consideration, he shortened his strides so the teal haired man wouldn’t be left too much behind. In return, Kuroko brushed his shoulder gently against Aomine’s arm, a small gesture of gratitude, and at that moment it truly seemed as if time had been reversed.

**.**

**xXXx**

**.**

“You all are late.” Midorima said as a greeting when he saw the quartet approaching his rickshaw. He was obviously displeased. The frown between his brows impossible to miss. Sadly even his expression of severe irritation didn’t seem to faze the other at all.

“Yes, thank you for stating the obvious, Midorimacchi.” Kise replied without any guilt in his voice. He gave Midorima a box of milk chocolate with a cheeky grin, waiting only long enough for Midorima to accept it before approaching Takao. He brightened immediately. “Takaocchi! Thank you for keeping Midorimacchi here until we arrive! That must be hard for you.”

“Not really! I’m used to Shin-chan’s grumbling and besides, I’d actually proposed to just go home since you all certainly took your sweet time, but Shin-chan insisted to wait a moment longer~ I think he’s really looking forward to this trip.”

“Don’t talk nonsense, Takao! I merely agree with this stupid idea because I want to buy a charm from the Heian Jingu to re-stock my lucky items!” Midorima snapped harshly after putting the chocolate into his bag. He really didn’t like the way Takao was talking with Kise—because the both of them were trouble maker and they shouldn’t even be given the chance to be _friends_ —especially when the two menaces only shared a knowing look before dissolving into chuckles.

Midorima could feel his irritation quickly escalated into anger, but before he could say anything further to make Takao remember his place, a flash of soft pink entered his field of vision, effectively distracting him from the annoying duo. Reluctantly he turned his attention at Momoi, always the voice of reason in their little strange group, only to see the girl smiling warmly at him.

“I’m glad you decided to join us, Midorin! It won’t be half as fun if you weren’t there!”

“Hmph. It looks like you all misunderstand. Like I’ve said, I only join because I have business in Kyoto. Otherwise, I wouldn’t agree at all!”

“Right, and your lucky item for today _coincidentally_ is a set of wristbands. Funny how fate works around you, Shin-chan~”

Midorima’s frown, if it even possible, became even deeper. He crossed his arms and turned his face away. “Today lucky item is a green wristband. Unfortunately, the shop I went to only sold a set of rainbow colored wristbands. It’s a waste, but I have no other choice.”

“Hey, it’s not a waste! Midorimacchi could give the rest of the wristbands to us!” Kise suggested excitedly. This might very well be the first time someone else actually brought a gift for them.

Unfortunately, the idea only made Midorima look as if he had just swallowed a sour lemon. “No. Go die, Kise.”

“Midorimacchi that’s cruel!!”

“Aww, that’s too bad. I wouldn’t say no for a free wristband,” Momoi added with enough disappointment in her voice that made Aomine immediately whip up a glare for Midorima.

“Oi, Midorima, no need to be so stingy! It’s just a silly wristband, why can’t you at least share one with Satsuki?”

“There should be a peach or orange colored wristband in that set right, Midorima-kun? I think it will fit Momoi-san better.”

It took all of Takao’s power to hold back his laughter seeing Midorima being cornered by his friends. He could rarely see this side of Midorima, especially because the green haired man was considered as aloof in Shuutoku, so understandably the black haired point guard was enjoying the scene unfolding in front of him. Deciding it was better to sit back and observe everything, Takao did just that.

The changes in Midorima’s expression was really fascinating. At first he still managed to keep the scowl on his face, totally unaffected by Momoi’s tone of voice, but as Aomine and Kuroko started to speak up, the scowl melted into something akin with confusion and then hesitation. Even as Takao watched, Midorima fidgeted a bit before finally he closed his eyes almost in resignation. The grin on Takao’s face widened as his ace finally fished out one orange wristband out of his sport bag and gave it to Momoi—who in contrast, accepted with a really bright grin on his face.

“Thank you so much, Midorin!” Momoi gushed out with pure happiness.

Midorima turned his face away from the pink haired girl. “It’s nothing, Momoi.”

Takao finally gave up and snickered quietly into his hands. “Oh, God, Shin-chan’s face is hilarious! He actually looked pained!”

“Mm, yeah, you’re right,” commented Kise, who was still staying beside Takao the whole time and thus managed to hear what Takao said quite clearly. He leaned slightly towards the smaller male before continuing in hushed voice, “but let me tell you a secret: Midorimacchi had planned to give the wristband to Momocchi later. In fact, I won’t be surprised if by the end of our trip, we all will have a new wristband. He’s just too awkward about things like this.”

The soft tone and evident fondness in Kise’s voice made Takao stop laughing. For a moment he could only blink as he stared at the blonde. Kise returned the stare evenly until finally Takao’s lips twitched into a thin smile. He hummed in agreement. “Can’t deny that. Shin-chan tongue is sharper than a knife, but we all know he’s a softie inside. After all, he’s the tsundere type that would rather swallow his own tongue instead of being honest about his feelings. I can’t say I hate him though. As a matter of fact, I think I’m quite taken by him.”

“I know Takaocchi would understand!” claimed Kise in his usual exuberant tone. He took out another box of white chocolate before presenting it with a grin at the other. “Here, my thank you gift for staying by Midorimacchi all of this time! Happy Valentine’s Day, Takaocchi!”

“Well, this is unexpected, but thank you!” Takao gladly accepted the chocolate. “Try to return Shin-chan in one piece and without any brain damage, okay? I still need him to win against you all!”

Kise laughed brightly. “We’ll do our best~!”

**.**

**xXXx**

**.**

The train ride went uneventfully. By miracle they managed to get a whole bench to sit. Their conversation stayed light and mundane until, naturally, they started to doze off. Kuroko’s head rested on Kise’s upper arm while the blond leaned against Aomine who slouched in his seat and slept with his mouth open. Momoi giggled at the sight and took candid pictures while Midorima, who sat beside Momoi, remarked how embarrassing they were. Momoi chided him half-heartedly before striking up another conversation for the rest of their ride.

They had promised to meet with Murasakibara at the station and it was easy to spot the purple haired man once they arrived. Murasakibara towered above everyone else and the shade of his hair was so uncommon it’d immediately capture anyone’s eyes. When Momoi first saw him, Murasakibara was leaning beside some product promotional poster while eating potato chips, but then he looked up, noticing the colorful group, and approached them.

The purple haired man made a beeline straight towards Kise. He loomed right in front of the blond, looking down at the other while the potato chips crunched noisily inside his mouth. Only when he had swallowed does he speak up his demand, “Kise-chin, chocolate.”

Midorima scoffed, “You could at least greet us first, Murasakibara. Your manner truly is atrocious.”

“Mido-chin, don’t be so noisy. You made me want to crush you.”

“Oi, better not do that here, idiot. I don’t want to gather any more crowd.”

“Aomine-kun, I don’t think that’s what you should worry about.”

“Don’t worry, Tetsu-kun! I’m sure Mukkun didn’t really mean that!”

Murasakibara paid them no heed. His attention still focused solely on Kise. His eyes had taken on a hungry glint in them. “Kise-chin. Chocolate.”

Kise laughed. “Yes, yes, give me a moment, Murasakicchi,” he searched around the paper bag for a moment before finally finding a box of chocolate-green tea which then he pulled out. He kept that one box while giving the whole bag to Murasakibara. “There! You can have all the chocolates there. I have some unusual ones, like orange flavored chocolate. I’m not sure how it’ll taste, but I think you’ll enjoy it, Murasakicchi.”

The way Murakibara’s eyes started to sparkle like a kid when he took the bag from Kise was quite hilarious considering the man’s height. However, all of the Generation of Miracles was used to it so they just rolled their eyes good-naturedly. Murasakibara outside the court had always been childish, especially with his lazy way of speaking and obsession to snacks.

“Thank you, Kise-chin. I’ll give you this in return,” said Murasakibara as he gave Kise his half-eaten potato chip. The giant man didn’t waste any time before taking a box of chocolate from the bag and opened it. After that, he didn’t say anything else, content on munching at the sweet delicacy instead.

“You’re actually going to accept that garbage, Kise? It’s totally worthless.” Aomine said with spite even as he slung an arm around Kise’s shoulders and stole a chip. He ducked when Kise, quite annoyed, swatted at him half-heartedly.

“You could at least give him a new one, Murasakibara.” Midorima remarked without bite. He knew the probability of Murasakibara actually listening to him was slim to none.

“Eeeh, but Kise-chin is happy with what I gave. Right~?”

“Right. It’s good enough for me. Thank you, Murasakicchi.” Kise answered dutifully while feeding Momoi another potato chip. He decided to give the rest of the bag to Aomine, who hadn’t stop stealing the chips despite his earlier protest.

“You really should stop eating too many snacks. It wouldn’t be good for your health.”

Murasakibara spared Midorima a glance before shifting his gaze away and drawling insincerely, “Riiight.”

Hearing that, Midorima’s face turned sour. He looked as if he had a thing or two to say to Murasakibara, but Kuroko’s sudden appearance beside him startled him so much he automatically turned to face the teal haired man’s calm expression instead. Midorima crossed his arms defensively. “What?”

“I’m sure Murasakibara-kun appreciates your worry for him, Midorima-kun. Please don’t be dishearten just because he didn’t respond accordingly.”

“I don’t particularly care whether he heeds my advice or not. I just don’t like his attitude. He really should have a lesson in manners.”

For a few heartbeats, there was silence between them, until finally the softest of sigh broke it. Kuroko Tetsuya’s voice was full of sympathy as he said, “I think you’ll have to work harder if you wanted to achieve that dream.”

Silently Midorima agreed whole-heartedly. Teaching the giant man manners was impossible—unless maybe if you were Akashi, then it became _almost_ impossible instead. Of course, there were a lot of impossible things that became _almost_ impossible whenever Akashi was involved, especially when it concerned any members of Generation of Miracles, and Midorima had accepted that fact really well.

He was in no position to change any of them, not even if he wanted to. The only thing he could do was letting their unconventional relationship sweep him along, enjoying the ride and maybe the scenery if he could. Midorima thought he should be grateful for that. At least it meant he was still a part of _them_.

**.**

**xXXx**

**.**

Akashi didn’t bother waiting for them at Rakuzan’s front gate. None of them was surprised by it. Kise calmly took out his mobile instead, dialing Akashi’s number, making small talk, before announcing they were told (or more precisely: ordered) to go directly to the gym; the _basketball_ gym, as per Akashi’s words because apparently Rakuzan had more than one gym for their sport clubs. Of course.

They shared a look, because they knew there would be commotion once they arrived at the gym, but then decided there was nothing they could do about it. Akashi’s words were … well, not exactly absolute, but still compelling at the very least, and besides they were used to be the center of attention.

With that collective agreement, the colorful bunch started to walk towards the basketball gym. Momoi, as the only girl in the group, took the initiative to lead the way and to ask direction once they felt quite lose in the big school area. Murasakibara lingered almost at the back of the group, almost apathetic to anything other than the chocolate (the third box he had eaten today) in hand. Beside him, Midorima was still berating the purple haired man occasionally, although he looked more resigned than determined. Right behind Momoi the Kise-Kuroko-Aomine trio was bickering amicably. The blonde male had his arms looped tightly around Kuroko’s arm while saying something towards Aomine beside him who, in return, just yawned widely.

The people who passed them by would always turn to _look_ at the strange group, but they didn’t bother to acknowledge it (except for that one time when four girls recognized Kise as a model and were brave enough to ask for his autograph) until finally Momoi managed to get the _right_ direction to the basketball gym.

(“So we should’ve turned left back then instead of right.”

“See? Told you, Kise. Your sense of direction sucks.”

“Shut up, Aominecchi! I thought it would be similar with Kaijou!”

“Where were we heading then, Momoi-san? There’s a separate building over there too.”

“Oh, that’s the cafeteria, Tetsu-kun.”

“Can we stop there first? I’m hungry~”

“No, Murasakibara. You’ve eaten more than enough. In fact, you should stop eating. _Now._ ”)

Fortunately, the basketball gym wasn’t that far for their current location. It was quite identifiable too since it was the largest gym there—it was even bigger than their gym in Teikou and that was saying something—and the sound of routine practice that could be heard clearly from the gym’s open doors were helpful too. When they arrived, Momoi once again decided to be the spoke-person for their group and went first inside the gym. The rest of them waited for a moment until finally the pink haired girl walked back out with a smile and a certain red head following her.

“Akashicchi!” greeted Kise when he saw the other. He was about to approach and hug him when he realized there was a third person following the duo. He tilted his head when Hayama Kotarou stopped beside Akashi. Kise noticed then that the older male had few training jerseys in hands. This prompted him to quirk his brows inquiringly. “What’s with those jerseys, Akashicchi?”

By now, the rest of Generation of Miracles had also come forward, gathering around Akashi, Hayama and Momoi while waiting for an answer. Even Murasakibara had actually stopped eating. The box of chocolate was dutifully returned back into the paper bag.

Akashi smiled seeing their questioning look and Kise knew he wasn’t the only one who shivered when seeing it. Then Akashi spoke up for the first time and Kise knew the dread they all felt was very, _very_ warranted.

“Those are for you. Since you all have gone all the way here, I thought a little game won’t hurt. Of course, I’ll be leading Rakuzan now.” The smile widened fractionally and it was decidedly _scheming_. “Well then, I’ll wait for you in the court. Don’t take too long.”

**.**

**.**

**.**

**-TBC-**


	2. Preserving Time

**STATICE**

“Was it really necessary, Akashi?”

“I’m afraid you have to be more specific, Shintarou.”

The sound of Midorima gritting his teeth together was almost audible. He did, however, repeated his question in more details, “Was _the game_ really necessary?”

“Ah,” was Akashi’s response before he fell silence—seemingly intentional for all purpose—as if he was unaware that almost all of his companions was thrumming with the same curiosity. Momoi was the only one who didn’t seem waiting for an answer; the girl already smiling knowingly. Akashi gave her a glance and respectful smile, truly impressed by her intelligence. He only decided to speak up again when he thought Midorima was about to _growl_. “Of course it was necessary. I wanted to gauge the strength of my team and also yours. I’d say the end result isn’t that bad.”

“But Akashicchi didn’t have to play for Rakuzan, right?” Kise blurted out. The pout was obvious even in his tone. “Thanks to that, we couldn’t win.”

“That’s because your Perfect Copy took too long to be useful, idiot!” grunted Aomine. He didn’t particularly like to be defeated, even if it was only a practice match. It felt like a low blow to his previous motto of, ‘the only one who can beat me is me.’

“Wha-?! Excuse me! If anything, the reason we lost was because Aominecchi couldn’t understand team work at all! You should’ve passed the ball more often!”

“Passing is Tetsu’s job, not mine!”

“Aomine-kun really shouldn’t blame other people for his own fault.” Kuroko said with a hint of annoyance in his voice. He didn’t like to lose either. Especially after he had worked so hard to keep their miserable team together in the court.

“Well, at least the point difference wasn’t that big. Quite surprising, actually, considering how … disastrous your game was.”

“Is that supposed to cheer us up, Momoi? Because it doesn’t work.”

Akashi chuckled as he listened to his friend’s banters. The impromptu match he had suggested did end up with Rakuzan’s win by mere three point difference. It wasn’t because Rakuzan had better skill either, despite being led by Akashi himself, but rather because the rest of Generation of Miracles were so used to be the ace in their current team they forgot how to follow orders. That, and Midorima wasn’t particularly skilled as a Point Guard too.

“I wouldn’t worry much about the result. Considering everything, I think all of you had played well enough. It was an interesting game.”

The soft spoken words were enough to make the others stop their argument. There was enough pride in Akashi’s voice that sent them back to the old days, back where those simple words were the only things they needed to hear after a game—more than the cheers or praises from their audience. It proved that they had done something _right_ ; that they were worthy enough to be acknowledge by Akashi, and even to this day those words still had the power to make them happy.

“So,” Murasakibara, who previously was more interested in channeling his irritation to his chocolates, spoke up. Apparently he had just finished another box of chocolate and decided to save the rest for later. “Where are we going now?”

“I was planning to go directly home. Unless there’s some place you all want to visit?”

“Then can we go get popsicles?”

“… Haven’t you eaten enough, Murasakicchi?” Kise asked with no small amount of awe. True, he had known about Murasakibara’s (unhealthy, according to Midorima) obsession to snacks, but whenever he saw it with his own eyes, it was still overwhelming.

“I still can eat popsicles,” Murasakibara shrugged. “besides, we always bought popsicles whenever we go home together.”

Kise looked surprised hearing the answer—and to be fair, so did everyone else. They would never expect to hear those words from Murasakibara’s lips. The purple haired man didn’t usually like to reminisce about the past—he was far too lazy to worry about things like that—unlike Kise or sometimes Momoi. So the fact that he actually remembered their little habit was enough to render the others speechless.

Until finally Midorima scoffed and adjusted his glasses. “You only want an excuse to eat more.”

“Well~ there is that, too.” Murasakibara agreed easily.

Momoi giggled. “I agree with Mukkun though! Maybe we can stop somewhere before we go to Akashi-kun’s house. What do you think, Tetsu-kun?”

“It’s still a little bit too cold for popsicles, but … I’m not opposed to the idea. It’s not every day we can gather like this again.”

“As long as it’s free, I have no objection either.”

“Aominecchi, you really should be ashamed.”

“Don’t be a damn hypocrite, Kise. I know you won’t refuse free foods either.”

Kise pouted but he didn’t say anything in return. It was true enough. Still, he didn’t feel like agreeing with Aomine, so he stuck his tongue out—very maturely—before mumbling, “ _Aho_ minecchi” which earned him a painful headlock from the tan male.

Akashi smiled indulgently. “Well, that’s decided then. I will pay for the popsicles, Daiki. You don’t have to worry.”

“Hah! You hear that? It’ll be free after all!” Aomine whooped before releasing Kise from the headlock. He was grinning widely while Kise straightened and tidied his hair.

“Yes, yes, good for you,” the blond rolled his eyes. He then turned his attention to Akashi after taking out the last box of chocolate from his bag. “That reminds me, here’s your share of chocolate, Akashicchi!”

“Thank you as always, Ryouta.” Akashi accepted the chocolate with a smile.

“Oh! Midorin also brings something for us!” Momoi suddenly exclaimed, grabbing at Midorima’s arm as if to prevent him from running away.

“D-don’t be silly, Momoi! I bring no such thing!!”

“Midorima-kun, it’s not good to lie.”

“That’s right, Mido-chin. You shouldn’t hide a gift~” Murasakibara drifted closer to the three-pointer, looking as if he was about to drape his whole body over Midorima’s back at any moment.

“There’s no gift! Get out of my personal space, Murasakibara!”

“Really, Midorima, you should try to be more honest. It’s not like any of us believe your tsundere act anymore.”

“Aomine-kun, that’s quite rude.”

“Tetsu-kun is right. That’s uncalled for, Dai-chan!”

“OI! I was only saying the truth!!”

“Hahaha, Aominecchi’s getting scolded~ Serves you right!”

“Shut up, Kise!”

“All of you, shut up. Atsushi, please step away from Shintarou. Daiki, Ryouta, stop bickering. Satsuki, you can release Shintarou now and Tetsuya, stop making the situation worse.”

The way Akashi gave out the order, calm yet very precise, made the others immediately scramble to obey. Murasakibara stumbled a bit as he took hasty steps away from Midorima. Momoi let go of his arm as if burned and even Kuroko’s expression turned slightly guilty. Midorima harrumphed for the harassment he had received, but swallowed down any retorts he might have. It wouldn’t do to redirect Akashi’s wrath at himself, after all.

Once he was satisfied with the response he got, Akashi smiled thinly. “Let’s stop bothering Shintarou for now. He can give us the presents later on tonight.”

“Akashi, you’re not helping.”

“Why, Shintarou, whoever said I was going to help you?” Akashi shot back without bothering to hide his amusement.

Midorima stared at the red head for a long moment. Then he visibly resisted the urge to sigh—or to bash Akashi’s head in, perhaps—massaging the bridge of his nose as if to hold back an headache, before deciding to simply walk away from the crazy bunch that he, unfortunately, called companions.

“Aww, I think we’ve made Midorin angry!” Momoi bit her lower lip. She couldn’t deny teasing Midorima was fun, but she was afraid they had gone too far. “Do you think he’ll be alright?”

“He’s fine. Midorima is always like that. You don’t need to worry your pretty head about him, Satsuki.”

“I agree with Aominecchi. Midorimacchi never could stay angry at us for too long.”

“I think Mido-chin needs to eat more sweets.”

“I don’t think that’s Midorima-kun’s problem, Murasakibara-kun.”

Akashi smirked, completely amused by the whole conversation. He let the others continue talking for a moment longer before starting to walk forward, knowing instinctively that the rest was watching him silently. He didn’t bother looking back at all, although he did give them an explanation of sort, “We should catch up with Shintarou. We don’t want to make him feel lonely.”

There was a moment of silence in which Akashi knew the others were finally looking for Midorima who, indeed, had been walking far enough they could barely see him. The silence continued for few heartbeats before hasty footsteps could be heard approaching him from behind. Before long, the others had caught up with Akashi, some of them grumbling about a certain green haired man who just couldn’t take a joke and the smirk on Akashi’s face changed into a small smile.

No matter how much they loved to tease each other, Akashi knew each one of them considered everyone in Generation of Miracles precious—and yes, for Akashi, Momoi was also a part of the GOM—and that meant none of them would be willing to let anyone go. It was dangerous, this relationship they had, because affection (or maybe obsession) shouldn’t be divided into seven, but there was nothing they could do about it.

They had made a mistake once; had almost lost Kuroko because of that, and it was not a mistake any of them wanted to repeat. Now that they could be together once more, the thought of losing anyone again was unbearable.

Thus, Akashi wasn’t surprised when he saw Midorima halting his steps until finally he came to a total stop and simply crossed his arms—as if waiting for them to catch up. He merely smiled once again. After all, he knew Midorima had always felt the same.

**.**

**xXXx**

**.**

When they walked out of a small convenient store nearby Rakuzan, popsicles weren’t the only items in their plastic bags. They ended up buying lots of snacks too, under Murasakibara’s not so subtle suggestion, to be eaten later on in Akashi’s place. The red head himself didn’t look quite pleased with the amount of unhealthy foods they had brought—a sentiment Midorima shared wholeheartedly—in the end he still gave in since the idiots (namely Murasakibara, Kise and Aomine), wouldn’t bother listening even if he did ask them to put most of the snacks back onto the aisles.

 Well, at least Akashi didn’t have to pay for the snacks. He only paid for the popsicles, as per agreement, while Momoi and Aomine (after being pestered, bugged, and then _threatened_ by the girl) shared the bill for the snacks. The short trip had also managed to lift everyone’s mood up—and yes, this included Midorima who wasn’t scowling as fiercely this time—which was also a good point.

They shared popsicles as planned, despite the chill that still clung in the air, and didn’t talk much on their way back to Rakuzan’s front gate, where Akashi had asked to be picked up. They were all tired from their little game and Akashi didn’t want to inconvenient himself while he still had the luxury of comfortable transportation on his disposal.

His driver was already waiting when they arrive, punctual as always, and the middle-aged man gave a small bow before opening the door for all of them. In the end, Akashi decided to take the front passenger seat though, because there was just so many space left in the vehicle after four gigantic males and two smaller people sat inside. Perhaps Akashi should have asked for the limousine instead—if only it wasn’t too conspicuous.

Besides, he didn’t have any problem sitting alone at the front, because Kise always had this habit of leaning forward, his arms circling the head of the front seat, long fingers sometimes tickling Akashi’s hair just so. The blond’s cheerful voice could be heard from his left side, while if he tilted his head a bit, Akashi would immediately see Midorima, sitting right behind the driver, looking out at the window with an almost serene look on his face. Occasionally Momoi would turn her face towards him, her lips permanently curved into a wide grin, pink orbs bright with happiness and a bit of mischief as she asked his opinion for whatever argument she had with Kise.

From the back seat, Murasakibara was chewing on his snacks continuously—Akashi knew because he could _hear_ it. The sound only ceased occasionally whenever Aomine decided to butt into Momoi-Kise’s arguments. Kuroko could neither be heard nor seen by Akashi, but he wasn’t really worried. The phantom sixth man did have the tendency to fall asleep inside moving vehicles.

The thirty minutes it took to reach Akashi’s house (which, in fact, was one of their vacation houses. Thus, Akashi was living practically alone except for the servants there) went by in a blink of an eye. Before they knew it, Akashi’s SUV had stopped in front of the main entrance. The driver walked around towards the passenger’s door to open it, but before he could do the same to the back door, Kise had already pushed it open and stepped out of the car.

Akashi chuckled as he saw the way his driver blanched at that. Kise’s behavior was unheard of within the Akashi household. No wonder people would be horrified seeing it. Though, Akashi had no intention to tell his companions to do otherwise. He stepped closer to the older man, resting his hand slightly on his arm until he gained the other’s attention. “Don’t worry about that, Kida-san. Thank you for your work today.”

The driver still had a strange expression on his face, but at hearing Akashi’s words, he seemed deflated. Then he bowed down once again in smooth movement. “Have a nice day, Seijuurou-sama,” he said before walking back towards the driver seat and drove the car away.

“Well then,” Akashi turned back towards his companions. “Welcome.”

“What, there are no maids lining up to greet us?” Aomine actually looked very disappointed at that.

“Seriously, Dai-chan, what were you thinking? No, never mind. I don’t think I want to know.” Momoi huffed before approaching Kuroko, who still looked sleepy, and linked their hands together. “Let’s go inside, Tetsu-kun! I don’t want to be anywhere near that pervert ganguro.”

Still unable to think coherently, Kuroko just nodded his agreement and followed the pink haired girl as Momoi gently tugged him forward. He didn’t bother letting go of their hands.

“Honestly, Momoi, you shouldn’t enter someone’s home before the host gave you their permission,” the disappointment could be heard thickly in Midorima’s voice. He had thought Momoi would have more sense than anyone else in their group.

Akashi merely shrugged lightly. “I don’t mind, Shintarou. Let Satsuki do what she wants. Also, Daiki, that kind of line up only happens in our main house, and only when my father comes home. Don’t expect anything too much.”

“That’s right, Aominecchi. Stop thinking about dirty things!”

“Che, you all just had to destroy my dream.”Aomine grumbled but he didn’t object when Kise pushed at his back to make him move forward, following the others who had started to enter the house.

**.**

**xXXx**

**.**

“So, what should we do now?”

The question, unsurprisingly, was asked by Kise. They had all gathered in Akashi’s room, which was also the main room, after putting their bags into the guest rooms that had been prepared beforehand. The blond was sitting on Akashi’s bed, back leaning against the headboard while Momoi’s head rested on his lap, and he idly played with the long pink strands. The girl looked comfortable in her position, occasionally turning her face up to say something to Aomine who sat beside Kise, close enough that their shoulders brushed against each other.

 Murasakibara and Kuroko were sitting on a couch on the right corner of the room, watching some kind of anime program while sharing bags of snacks. On the other side of the room, near the glass wall, Akashi and Midorima sat in front of a shogi board. They spoke in hushed voice without taking their eyes off of the board at all during the fifteen minutes they had spent on playing. None of them seemed to hear Kise’s question—or maybe they just didn’t want to bother answering—which in turned made the blond pout indignantly.

“ _Mou_ , don’t ignore me like that! I’m always bored when I don’t have anything to do!”

“There, there, Ki-chan, we’re not ignoring you,” Momoi cooed with a gentle smile. She propped her body up to pat at Kise’s head like he was a small child. “I think everyone is just still tired from the long trip.”

Kise’s pout didn’t lessen at all. He crossed his arms and turned his face away from Momoi in petulant gesture. “Yeah, but this is boring and I don’t want to sleep when we’re finally together like this.”

“You always have too much energy, Kise,” Aomine didn’t bother to cover his mouth as he yawned widely. “I won’t say no for a little nap.”

“Aominecchi, stop being a lazy ass.” Kise grunted half-heartedly. When he heard Aomine just chuckled in response, he sighed and turned his attention back to Akashi, leaning forward a bit and making Momoi fall back down onto his lap. “ _Nee_ , Akashicchi, stop playing with Midorimacchi and let’s do something. I’m boooooored.”

“Shut up, Kise. Your whining is annoying,” Midorima snapped without looking at the blond. Their current game was reaching the end and he couldn’t afford to lose concentration even for one second. He wouldn’t accept another defeat from Akashi! Not this time!

Akashi smirked as if he could read Midorima’s exact thought. He hummed and leaned back against his chair, head turning slightly towards Kise as he responded, “We’re almost done here, Ryouta. You just have to wait for a moment longer.”

Honey brown orbs narrowed in suspicion, but then Kise sighed, accepting Akashi’s words for now. “Alright then,” he conceded before initiating a game of ‘I spy’ with Momoi and Aomine.

“Stop looking so smug, Akashi. I will defeat you this time!” Midorima glared up at Akashi who hadn’t stop smirking. He scowled before making his move, the small wooden piece creating soft _tuck_ sound on the shogi board.

Akashi actually had the gall to _chuckle_. “It’s too bad you still can’t prove your words right now, Shintarou,” he moved his piece, eyes glinting with satisfaction as he drawled out an, “ _Oute_.”

It was then Midorima realized he had fallen right into Akashi’s trap. The green haired man bit back a curse, glaring at the board for a while as if it could change the result. Then he closed his eyes and heaved a big sigh. When he finally lifted his head up to return Akashi’s gaze, his expression had smoothed back into that of neutrality.

“Next time, I won’t lose, Akashi.”

“I’m looking forward to it,” said Akashi with a small smile. “Thank you for the game, Shintarou.”

“Hmph,” was Midorima’s succinct reply. He nodded sharply before standing up from his chair and walked towards Kuroko and Murasakibara. He took a seat on the single armchair and decided to join in with the other two—only to protest and change the program into an educational one, much to the displeasure of the others.

From the bed, Kise perked up when he saw Midorima walking away. Momoi immediately sat up too once she noticed the blond’s excitement, unwilling to be jolted roughly should Kise forget about her. Once Momoi’s weight had left his lap, Kise scrambled towards the bed’s edge, propping his body up with his arms as he looked at Akashi with a wide grin.

Aomine thought Kise looked like a puppy wagging his tail. Momoi couldn’t say she disagree.

“You’re done, Akashicchi? Can we actually do something interesting now??”

“Of course. Lunch won’t be ready for a while, so meanwhile, we can see what Shintarou has kindly bought for us.” Akashi said, just loud enough to be heard by everyone else. He wasn’t surprised to see Midorima was glaring at him—again. It only made Akashi smile though, the corners of his eyes wrinkling in amusement. He did take some kind of pleasure from teasing Midorima; perhaps a little bit too much. “Come on, Shintarou. I’m sure your presents will be nice.”

“I don’t have any _presents_ for you! Stop making things up, Akashi!”

“Aww, Midorin, but the wristband you gave to me is so pretty!” Momoi jumped out of the bed to show Akashi the orange wristband Midorima had previously given to her. “See? And Midorin still has others too! There should be enough for each of us.”

“I see. It’s very nice indeed.” Akashi tilted his head back, catching and holding Midorima’s eyes evenly. “Shintarou, I hope you’re not planning to play favoritism to Satsuki now.”

“What are you—”

“Akashicchi is right!” Kise interrupted before Midorima could finish his sentence. “I want the wristband too, Midorimacchi!! I want the yellow one!!”

“Why should I—”

“Midorima-kun,” this time, Kuroko’s voice cut in. He was looking at Midorima with eerie intensity. “I’d suggest you agree with Kise-kun. He’s in the mood to whine and I don’t think we all want to hear _that_. Please, just give in this time.”

“Urgh, fine!” Midorima looked ready to throw his hands up in exasperation. Only his own self-control actually prohibited him from doing that. He stood up swiftly from the couch, whipping up a glare that made Kise whimper a bit. “Only because you all are so annoying!”

With that last words, Midorima walked out of the room, looking as if it took all of his power not to stomp his feet too harshly. The rest of them watched until the door was close behind him, before their faces broke out into various degrees of amusement. Kise was the first to snicker as he took the armchair Midorima had vacated.

“I really love Midorimacchi sometimes.”

“Mido-chin is interesting,” murmured Murasakibara as he changed the program back to anime since Midorima was gone. “Although sometimes it’s bothersome to follow his tsundere act.”

“But Midorin wouldn’t be Midorin if he isn’t a tsundere~” Momoi said in sing-song voice. She had joined in with the others and decided to sit beside Kuroko.

Aomine leaned against the back of Kise’s armchair, brows furrowing when he heard Momoi’s words, “You know what you’ve said made no sense at all right, Satsuki?”

“Aomine-kun just doesn’t get it because he’s stupid.”

“Oi, Tetsuu!!” Aomine growled to the teal haired man, only to turn his irritation towards Kise who didn’t bother hiding his laughter. “Shut up, Kise!” the tanned male demanded before reaching out and squeezing Kise’s head with enough force until the laughter changed into pained gasp and pleading whines.

“Honestly, you two are worse than little kids.” Momoi huffed without much heat as she saw Aomine and Kise. “Do you think Midorin will actually come back?”

“He will,” Akashi spoke up after taking three bottles of mineral water from a mini bar in the room. He placed them on the table in front of everyone before taking the last empty armchair on the right side. “Shintarou will never go back against his words. Just like you all.”

There was faint murmur of agreement following his statement before they decided to simply wait for the green haired man. Aomine had released Kise and was now sitting on the floor in front of the blond, leaning back against Kise’s leg while the other rubbed at his temples absent-mindedly. Murasakibara had his whole attention focused on the anime show in front of him while Kuroko, Momoi and Akashi were conversing softly with the girl’s head resting against Kuroko’s shoulder.

When the sound of door opening finally resounded in the room, Akashi was the one who looked up. His smiled was a bit too smug as he saw Midorima entering the room, looking not at all pleased, but with a set of wristbands in his hand nevertheless.

“Welcome back, Shintarou.”

Midorima didn’t bother responding. He just approached the redhead and shoved the wristbands to him. The scowl on his face was fierce enough Akashi decided not to tease him by taking his time in accepting. Instead, Midorima was surprised to see a somewhat sincere smile on Akashi’s face as he curled his fingers around the wristbands, only caressing Midorima’s skin ever so lightly it might as well be his imagination.

“Thank you,” Akashi murmured.

“Hmph,” Midorima pushed his glasses higher in response, although the scowl on his face had lightened up enough to show he wasn’t irritated. He turned away from Akashi then, looking for a place to sit, only to stop for a moment when he registered that all of the couches was full.

Realizing Midorima’s problem, Momoi roused from her seat with a smile. “Midorin, you can sit here!”

“I can’t take your seat, Momoi. You’re a _woman_.”

“Shintarou is right, Satsuki. You don’t have to do that,” said Akashi in soft tone before Momoi could even protest—since she always hated to be treated differently only because of her gender. “Atsushi won’t mind to move from his seat.”

“Hmm?” Murasakibara finally looked away from the television screen when he heard his name. He blinked lazily as he saw Midorima. “Ah, Mido-chin, you’re back~” The purple haired man paused before taking in the situation more closely; capturing the fact Momoi was currently standing in front of Midorima who looked a little bit impatient. His violet orbs moved towards Akashi, who returned the gaze calmly, and then he swirled his head towards his left side where Kise and Aomine sat. Understanding dawned on him immediately. “Oh.”

“Don’t change the channel, Mido-chin,” was Murasakibara’s only warning as he stood up from his seat and, with his usual slouching pose, walked towards Akashi only to drape himself on the back of Akashi’s chair. He grinned crookedly when Akashi gave him a new bag of potato chips as a thank you.

Akashi waited until both Midorima and Momoi had sat down before speaking up once again, “Well then, I’ll gave out the wristbands Shintarou had kindly bought for us.” He took one of the wristbands; it was in deep purple color. “Anyone agree if I hand it out according to color?” When everyone had expressed their affirmative, Akashi nodded. He gave the purple wristband to Murasakibara. “Here’s yours, Atsushi.”

“Thanks, Aka-chin.”

“Next, Daiki,” Akashi passed the blue wristband to Momoi who then passed it onto Kuroko who simply threw the wristband to Aomine.

“The red one is for me,” he put the red wristband aside for now and moved on, “Ryouta,” the yellow wristband met the same fate as Aomine’s, only this time it was thrown to Kise, of course. There was only one wristband left. Akashi’s brows rose up when he saw the color. “Black? Isn’t it supposed to be a set of _rainbow_ wristbands?”

“Apparently they don’t have a peach one, so they substitute it with black.” Midorima explained.

“Black … huh,” Akashi smiled softly. “How fitting. Black for our most loyal phantom,” red orbs met with sky blue ones; the smile on Akashi’s face widened as he gave out the last one. “Here’s yours, Tetsuya.”

“Thank you, Akashi-kun,” replied Kuroko with a similar smile. He turned towards Midorima and bowed his head a bit. “Thank you, Midorima-kun.”

“You don’t need to thank me. I don’t _intentionally_ bought it for any of you,” Midorima sounded tired of explaining the same thing over and over again, although he didn’t sound half as grumpy as the beginning—and they all knew it.

“That might be true, but still thank you, Midorimacchi!” Kise quipped in with his usual cheerful tone. Added to the grin on his face and it wasn’t hard to imagine the blond as sunshine personified.

For a moment, it looked as if Midorima was ready to snap at the blond, but the genuine happiness radiating off of him made him choke back the retort. He crossed his arms across his chest and decided to turn his face away from Kise instead, least he’d be too dazzled by the other. Sometimes, Midorima hated how the people who could infuriate him the most were also the ones who could ignite such warmth inside of him.

“Oi, Tetsu, this means you’re the only one who hasn’t given us gift!” Aomine exclaimed with a roguish grin.

“And what, exactly, was your gift, Aomine-kun?”

“I shared the bill for snacks with Satsuki. That should count to something.”

“Aominecchi, you’re so pathetic,” said Kise with contrasting fondness in his tone. “You didn’t even want to do that until Momocchi forced you to!”

“I still did it in the end. That’s all that matter!”

“I must agree with Daiki this time,” Akashi leaned back on his chair, eyes firmly set on the red wristband now circling his left wrist. His lips twitched upwards as Murasakibara’s hair tickled the side of his face. “At least even that was better than anything he could come up on his own.”

“I don’t like the way you said it, Akashi, but there you have it. You’re the last one, Tetsu!”

“I understand,” conceded Kuroko with the barest of sigh. “I’ll give you all my gift,” he paused a bit while the others focused their attention at him. There was a thin, almost evil smile on his face as he continued, “later on tonight.”

Stunned silence followed. Until Kise groaned dramatically and threw his upper body back onto his chair. Movements resumed as various response answered Kuroko’s statement.

“Kurokocchi, teasing us is so unfair!” Kise whined.

“For once the idiot is right! You can’t just say something like that, Tetsu!!”

“I apologize, but I won’t change my mind.”

Kise and Aomine started to protest loudly at that, making Midorima rolled his eyes in exasperation. Momoi smiled indulgently, not at all surprised by Kuroko’s words, while Murasakibara only watched on with obvious amusement in his eyes. Akashi was also smiling. He could understand Kise and Aomine’s frustration, but he made no move to force Kuroko to reveal his gifts anytime soon. They still had enough time together and besides, he had always loved the idea of saving the best for the last.

As he watched the six people who had managed to worm their selves into his heart, Akashi felt warmth filling him entirely. He was grateful their bond hadn’t been destroyed beyond repair and it was nice to have them all together like this once again. The possessive side of Akashi wanted him to cage these people inside forever and more, but he knew that would be impossible. In the end, he decided to simply enjoy this moment while in his head, the plan for another one of their traditions—New Year gathering—slowly formulated into perfection.

Traditions were meant to be uphold, after all, and Akashi vowed to never miss any ever again.

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**—END.**


End file.
